In Class 1-B today, the sound of despair echoed through the room once again.
But for the students in other first-year classes at Sobu High School, this was nothing new.
So had even started pooling their pocket money to make bets, guessing how many phones would be confiscated from Class 1-B today.
"Hey, do they still have phones left in Class 1-B at this point?"
"Does it matter? Nine out of ten of them are rich kids."
"Well, in that case, no problem."
anwhile, the person most responsible for Class 1-B's recurring confiscation fiascos—Kotomi—was still pretending to be a stern "little teacher," diligently explaining questions to gumi.
gumi propped her chin on one hand, smiling as she watched Kotomi. Her amused deanor made Kotomi wonder to herself, Aren't I supposed to look serious right now? Why does gumi's expression make it seem like I have zero authority?
...
After the lunch break ended, the first class of the afternoon was Modern Japanese, taught by Shizuka Hiratsuka, who hadn't been present in the morning due to a leave of absence.
As usual, Kotomi pulled out her phone during class to play gas.
What she seed to have forgotten, however, was that much of her in-class phone-playing expertise had been learned from Shizuka herself.
Unlike other teachers, Shizuka could tell at a glance if Kotomi was using her phone during class.
Earlier that afternoon, when she ran into the school's disciplinary director, the director had bead with pride while praising Kotomi.
"Kotomi is the only student in all of Sobu High School who never plays with her phone in the classroom," he had said, full of admiration.
This kind of praise for one of her students should have made Shizuka happy—it might even lead to a bonus at the end of the month. But hearing such an outright fabrication, Shizuka had nearly choked on her lunch.
Director! The student you're praising is literally the one who plays on her phone the most during class!
As a responsible teacher, Shizuka initially wanted to correct the disciplinary director's misconception.
But the thought of that end-of-month bonus ward her heart, and she nodded in agreent instead.
"That's right! Kotomi picks up her textbooks the mont she enters the classroom and starts studying. Even during break tis, she rarely makes noise or fools around. She's always reviewing the material for the next class. Whenever you see her in the classroom, she's diligently reading."
This glowing endorsent of Kotomi's scholarly deanor moved the disciplinary director to tears.
"This kind of dedication should be a model for all students! But remind Kotomi to balance her studies with so relaxation. Proper entertainnt is essential for maintaining peak focus."
After finishing his praise, the disciplinary director turned back toward the teaching building, heading straight for Class 1-B once more.
...
Now back in the classroom...
Shizuka Hiratsuka glanced at Kotomi, who appeared deeply engrossed in her textbook. She sighed quietly, knowing that beneath the textbook lay a phone with a ga interface on full display.
If it were any other student, even an excellent one, Shizuka would have called them out and reprimanded them.
But Kotomi wasn't just any student.
Sure, there were plenty of high-achieving students, but how many could claim to be the top-ranked student in all of Tokyo?
Before Kotomi, Sobu High School hadn't seen a single student achieve such a ranking in years.
And more importantly...
"Kotomi, tell : in the sentence 'The moon has risen,' what literary technique is being used? What emotions is the author expressing, and what background does it hint at?" Shizuka called on her.
As expected, Kotomi stood up calmly and delivered a perfectly articulated, textbook answer.
Each part of her response hit every scoring point precisely.
Her concluding remark, however—"The moon has risen, and it also signifies that the sun will rise again"— was the crowning jewel of her analysis.
If Shizuka had been the grading examiner at that mont, she might have awarded Kotomi extra points just for that one sentence!
"Well said, you may sit down," Shizuka nodded.
Kotomi returned to her seat and resud entering her paynt password, reloading funds to proceed with a ten-pull in her ga.
Shizuka tugged helplessly at the corners of her mouth but continued teaching the lesson.
This was why she found it difficult to reprimand Kotomi.
Kotomi would play gas, read novels, or browse manga during class, even showing signs of skipping classes occasionally.
But... her grades were consistently excellent!
No matter when Shizuka called on her to answer questions, Kotomi would effortlessly provide correct and well-articulated responses—often surpassing students who actively listened in class.
Because of this, Shizuka couldn't bring herself to scold Kotomi for playing on her phone during lessons and usually chose to turn a blind eye.
Besides, she still needed Kotomi's help to pose as her fake girlfriend on November 6 to appease her parents.
When the bell signaled the end of the first class, Shizuka put down the chalk without hesitation, announcing the end of the period without overrunning. However, today, her hurry wasn't to sneak off for a smoke.
"Kotomi, Mashiro, you two, co with ," Shizuka said from the podium before walking out of the classroom.
Kotomi turned to look at Mashiro. The two exchanged puzzled glances, uncertain about what Shizuka wanted from them.
"Mashiro, did Hiratsuka-sensei ntion anything important for before?"
"No, Kotomi, did she say sothing to you?"
"Not at all. Let's go and find out."
Kotomi shook her head and stood up, walking out of the classroom with Mashiro, passing by gumi on the way.
When they reached the staff office, they found Shizuka standing by an open window, finishing a cigarette.
"Hey, you two got here fast. This isn't a big deal—let's get it over with quickly so you can head back," Shizuka said with a chuckle before sitting at her desk. She pulled two docunts from her drawer and handed them to Kotomi and Mashiro.
Kotomi took the papers and stared at them. It was a notice about the Tokyo tropolitan University National Youth Art Exhibition, with the date for the first exhibition set for next month.
The venue was the Kyoto National Museum of Modern Art in Okazaki, Kyoto.
"The exhibition is happening this soon? And it's in Kyoto?"
Kotomi's eyes widened in shock. She knew the submission deadline was this week, but logically, it would take ti to curate the submitted works before hosting the exhibition.
To have the exhibition start in October felt too rushed.
Could the organizers even select the appropriate works in such a short tifra?
Or were they planning to handle it carelessly, just for show?
Although Kotomi had been confident about this exhibition, doubts began to creep into her mind.
Shizuka seed to read her thoughts from her expression and chuckled, surprised to see Kotomi looking nervous. She offered a gentle reminder:
"Kotomi, don't rush to conclusions. Take a closer look at the three words in front of 'art exhibition.'"
Kotomi followed Shizuka's hint and noticed the words she had initially overlooked: 'First Phase.'
"'First Phase Art Exhibition'?"
Kotomi looked at Shizuka with confusion. In her understanding, art exhibitions were typically one-ti events.
"The Tokyo tropolitan University National Youth Art Exhibition will likely be held in multiple phases. From all the submitted works, they will select pieces for the first phase exhibition. Then, from the first phase, they'll pick pieces for the next phase.
"It's akin to an elimination-style competition.
"The works that make it to the final phase exhibition will probably be the award-winning pieces. This type of selection process is quite common in the UK. If a piece isn't chosen for the first phase, there's little hope of it winning any awards at all."
Mashiro, reading the "First Phase Exhibition" label, softly explained it to Kotomi.
When it ca to art-related matters, Mashiro always appeared exceptionally reliable.
After hearing Mashiro's detailed explanation, Kotomi suddenly understood. So, the Tokyo tropolitan University National Youth Art Exhibition was using an elimination-style system.
"In other words, only the works selected for the first phase exhibition are officially granted an 'entry ticket' to the national art competition?"
"Exactly," Shizuka nodded, relieved that Mashiro had helped explain it. That saved her from having to provide a detailed explanation herself.
After all, while Shizuka wasn't completely clueless about art, it wasn't her area of expertise either.
Coincidentally, the art teacher, Chihiro Sengoku, was unexpectedly occupied today, leaving the responsibility of notifying and explaining the rules to Shizuka.
Initially, Shizuka had been at a loss about how to explain the rules, but fortunately, Mashiro's understanding of the art competition saved the day, completing the task on her behalf.
"I heard from Sengoku that your submission deadline is coming up soon. So for the second period, you two don't need to attend class. Head directly to the art room to work on your paintings. Including the one-hour club activity ti, you'll have almost two hours. Is that enough?"
"Not just enough, it's perfect! Thank you, Shizuka-sensei~" Kotomi nodded eagerly. If she used these two hours well, she was confident she could finish her painting today!
"Alright, then head back and pack up your bags so you won't need to return to the classroom later."
Leaving the teacher's office, both Kotomi and Mashiro, determined not to waste their rare two-hour painting window, quickened their pace back to the classroom. After informing the English teacher preparing to start the next lesson, the two returned to their desks to pack their bags.
Since there was no howork today, they only needed to take their school bags ho.
In truth, they didn't even need to bring their bags, but carrying them out of the school gave a better impression.
Sitting nearby, gumi saw Kotomi return and was about to strike up a conversation.
Those three days in Hokkaido had left her with endless things she wanted to say to Kotomi. Chatting during class would be double the fun!
But before she could even take Kotomi's little finger in hers, Kotomi had already picked up her bag and walked past her again, preparing to leave the classroom with Mashiro.
In a mont of urgency, gumi grabbed Kotomi's wrist, making her stop. Then, trying to calm her voice, she asked:
"Kotomi, where are you going?"
"Little gumi, Mashiro and I are heading to the art room to paint. Since the club activity might run a bit late, you don't need to wait for to walk ho today. Head back first, okay? Bye-bye~"
Kotomi smiled as she waved her small hand at gumi, saying goodbye before turning to leave with Mashiro for the art club.
gumi's gaze fell silent as she watched the two of them walk away, side by side.
Click—
The lead in the chanical pencil gumi was holding snapped again, its sharp sound echoing faintly.
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